Cooper City Antique Mall is an official TOYS FOR TOTS collection center. We’ll be accepting new, unwrapped toys for good girls and boys from Friday, November 18 to Friday, December 9. Help us bring smiles to deserving children. Remember, new unwrapped toys only are accepted by the program. THANK YOU!

Always Ready – Coast Guard Sea Stories from the 1970’s chronicles the experiences and adventures of the author during his eight years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard. In his book, author Mark Holmes recounts fact-based tales of rescues at sea, liberty calls by energetic crew members, rowdy behavior and some raunchy antics by his shipmates, all with a unique perspective on the Coast Guard during the evolving 1970’s. You’ll read about life during boot camp, a daring rescue in mountainous seas, a miraculous recovery of a man overboard, and the struggles and successes of Mr. Holmes during the course of his two enlistments. Some dates and some names of people, places, and institutions have been fictionalized, but the stories themselves are true. Learn more at the website Always Ready.

The upcoming Cooper City budget calls for $2.5M to be spent on upgrading city playing fiieds with state of the art artificial turf. Sound move or foolish spending?

The web site, MomsTeam.com has a good article highlighting the pros and cons of this turf.

One of the “cons’ mentioned in the article is kind of gross:

Bacterial breeding ground. Medical experts have found that staphylococci and other bacteria can survive on polyethylene plastic, the compound used to make synthetic turf blades, for more than 90 days. Blood, sweat, skin cells and other materials can remain on the synthetic turf because the fields are not washed or cleaned.

However, the artificial surface is much more playable, saves a lot of water, and has lower maintenance costs than grass. According to the report, once the decision is made to use artificial turf, the city cannot revert back to grass because the soil is destroyed in terms of supporting live grass.

This was passed unanimously by the commission. The signs are relatively new, at least in Ted Ferone Park. How do you feel about it? Is the law being observed? I see people with dogs walk right past the sign into the park, some of the dogs doing their business without it being disposed of. Is this a “paper law” not to be enforced? If so, what’s the point of having it?

(1) a. No animals or pets of any kind are permitted in city parks, except that dogs shall be permitted in areas specifically designated for dog use by the posting of a sign. Dogs shall not be allowed to run loose, but shall at all times be restrained or kept on a leash of not more than six (6) feet in length;*

b. This subsection shall not apply to the following:

i. Service animals, as defined in Section 413.08(1)(d), Florida Statutes, and as used in accordance with the provisions of Section 413.08, Florida Statutes;

ii. Horses or dogs used by a law enforcement officer or park watchman in the performance of their duties; and

iii. Animals or fowl kept by the department of recreation or under its direction.

Here is the definition of an ADA Certified service animal:

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

If you’re tired of aimlessly wandering the canyons of your local big-box home improvement store, try the new Cooper City True Value.They seem to have about 90% of what I typically need and it’s convenient. Not only that, you get personalized service instead of hopelessly and vainly searching for an blue or orange-clad employee at the mega stores.

Owners Russ and Ernie both demonstrated excellent customer service skills while I was there, patiently helping a female customer with multiple hardware needs, and helping me find parts to restore my antique tripods. Parts, I might add that were out of stock at the big-box store in spite of their massive-ness.

If you need hardware of any kind, give True Value a try – they have all kinds of nuts, bolts, screws, connectors, clips, t-nuts… the list goes on, and they’re all organized and easy to find. I saw plenty of PVC pipe supplies, paint and painting supplies, ladders, mowers, power tools, door hardware, barbeque items, saw blades, electrical supplies, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, and a whole lot more. Like I said, 90% of the time, these are the types of items I need, and at True Value, you can get immediate help, find what you want, and be on your way. I thought the prices were very reasonable.

Save some shoe leather… try the new True Value. It’s located in the old Blockbuster store location at Hiatus and Sheridan. Look for the grand opening event February 6 through the 8th, including buy one, get one free on EasyCare paint, a fun treasure hunt, register to win prizes, and a spin-to-win game. The ribbon cutting was held at 1 PM on February 7th with Mayor Ross and commissioners in attendance.

Finishing up the mulching at the new playground as a final step to completion.

Children in the Cooper Village area will soon enjoy the brand new playground at Ted Ferone Park, located at 106th Avenue and 51st Street. The old playground was recently removed and quickly replaced with a great new facility. The last details are being completed now. The playground includes several slides, a circular monkey-bars, a rock climbing wall, and a huge shade canopy. Go see it, and enjoy it, soon!

First visit to Trader Joe’s (11960 Pines Blvd). Not exactly what I expected, kind of a cozy ’60’s beach/drive-in vibe with bright colors, plus light wood decor and checkout stands instead of a big warehouse, and great prices on most stuff.

Almost everything is “Trader Joe’s” brand, and as you’ve heard, their wine selection is good-sized and well priced. A few item samples: $1.99 for a half-gallon of OJ, $1.79 for a dozen eggs, $2.49 for the large bags of multi-grain tortilla or ridged potato chips, $2.99 for their house brand Merlot and White Zindandel (and other varietals), pure grade-A maple syrup at $5.49, EV Olive Oil (33 oz. size) for just $7.99. I’m told by the expert that those are good prices. Trader Joe’s has plenty of imported cheeses, a good selection of nice, flash-frozen fish, small-batch craft beer, fresh produce, a nice assortment of frozen convenience foods, and much more. It’s a budget-gourmet place combined with a small-town grocery store feel. The staff is friendly and helpful plus they empty your cart and bag your stuff for you; all you do is watch and pay.